The advent of wireless data networks has allowed mobile devices, such as portable computers and smartphones, to provide data about a location to a person in that location almost immediately. A mobile device can report its location through a web browser or an application and be provided with information about restaurants, houses for sale, cultural events and more. This allows the user to be informed immediately about that location. Some web sites and applications also allow the user to interact with the information to focus on particular types of information or information about a particular topic or facility. For graphic information, the user may be able to zoom in or out or change a view from an overhead view to a street view, or from a map view to a pictorial view.
Some web sites and applications also allow the user to upload information back to the information provide through the wireless data network. The user can then add to what has been received with information about the location, such as current photographs, descriptions, or comments. This information can be consolidated with the existing information to allow more information to be provided to the next user.
One example of such location-based applications are astronomy applications. Such applications receive the location of the user device and the time of year and then provide images of how the night sky should appear at that location and time. Additional information is provided, such as the name and locations of constellations and planets. If the user has a view of the sky, then received information on the mobile device can be compared with the actual sky to locate and understand objects. Such an application can allow a person to learn about the sky in a remote or unfamiliar location. Similar functionality can also be obtained with fixed desktop equipment and software.